, 1887-11-17

As each man stepped from the path on
10 the plateau his eyes were firmly band
nged with white paper, the only act OF
mercy I saw vouchsafed that morning.
Finally they were ranged in line, the two
cripples huddled on the ground, their poor
heads as they dropped from shoulder to
shoulder being roughly buffeted to a
proper angle by the policemen in charge.
This accomplished, amid a silence so
absolute that we could almost hear our
hearts beat, the great man on the camp
stool rose, and unfolding a large docu-
ment, read in a loud voice what we sup
posed to be a description of the crimes
for which the poor fellows were to suffer
and the process of condemnation and sem
tence. This was a very long business,
and before it had nearly finished the
native spectators were laughing and
joking upon the appearance of the doomed
men with that callousness to human suffer-
ing which so much blackens the otherwise
amiable and pleasing character of the
Japanese. people.
AT last it was finished. AS there were
but five holes for seven prisoners, two
would be obliged to remain in blind
agony while their companions were being
dispatched. Five men were accordingly
thrust forward with the slaves and fists
Of the police; each mar was made to
squat on a mound, his clothes-if filthy,
tattered rags could be called clothes
stripped from his shoulders, his hands
tied behind his back and his head pushed
forward over the hole.
Our feelings at this awful moment can
better be imagined than described, but I
think we felt quite as much pity for the
two poor wretches left alone to listen TO
what was going on, without that artificial
aid to fortitude which the sight of a crowd
sometimes gives, as for their companions
on their death seats. Undoubtedly exc
cution by the trenchant japanese sword
is as merciful a death as can be desired;
but the Oriental nature, as if to compen-
safe for this erring on the side of mercy,
counterbalances it by an undue prolonPa-
ton of the preparations for death, which
is worse han a hundred deaths. So in
this case.
AS the poor fellows knelt over their
holes the executioner slowly and DELHI
erately took off his coat and barred his
arms. Then he took from its silk casing
the fatal sword, examined it fondly and
lingeringly, from the Yasuri me, or
filing on the hilt to keep the grasp from
slipping, along the Kimmon or the groove
in the blade, to the point; held it over a
pail while a coolie trickled water down
it, and with a great deal of settling of his
feet was ready. l felt sick and giddy,
but l kept my eyes on the scene. At E
sign from the official on the camp stool
the executioner raised his sword slightly,
hardly half a dozen inches, and almost
before l could realize it the mans head
was hanging over the hole by a single
hgament and the blood was gushing forth
in torrents.
1 then saw why the executioner had
completely severed the head; and the
wonderful skill of the Japanese swords
men. using, as they do, the most perfect
weapons in the world, can be imagined
in SO arranging the force of the blow that
absolute decapitation does not take place.
He tore the head off and held it toward
the four sides Of the square; then he gave
it to a coolie, who roughly plastered the
severed portion with clay and stuck it on
a kind of elevated shelf. In the mean
while two coolies were humping on the
back of the PROSTATE body to hasten the
rush of blood, after which one Of the
coarse Ia was thrown over it and it
was laid aside.
l had seen enough, and I turned my
head away as the executioner, after wip-
ing his blade with paper, approached the
second poor wretch.-Cor. Gentleman's
Magazine.